(NewsNation Now) — Everything from costumes and candy to pumpkins could be tough to find this Halloween amid a global supply chain shortage and the uncertainty over the pandemic.
Kristin Myers, editor in chief of “The Balance” said that the issues with Halloween stem back to the beginning of the year, when the state of the pandemic and vaccine rollout was quite uncertain.,
“They didn’t know if because of the pandemic folks were going to actually be able to go out and celebrate,” said Myers. “So they actually reduced some of their orders and then for those that did place some of those orders, there’s a backlog at the ports right now and a shortage of truck drivers so even getting some of those orders to the stores is a difficulty.”
Despite the troubles, the National Retail Federation expects more than $3.3 billion in costumes, $3 billion in candy and $3.2 billion in decorations to be sold. Myers said after a largely locked down Halloween last year, Americans are excited to get outside and start trick-or-treating.
“I think folks are really really excited to go out there and really celebrate the holiday, but again there’s going to be some issues if you want to get some really popular costumes,” said Myers. “‘Squid Game’ I know is a very popular one right now. There might be some issues getting some of those costumes in time for the holiday.”
NewsNation’s Adrienne Bankert interviewed Myers on Morning in America. You can watch the full interview in the player above.
The Biden administration is brokering new deals in an effort to relieve the stressed supply chain, ease shipping backlogs and move stranded container ships that are driving prices higher for consumers.
Earlier this week, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said that the supply chain issues that are hindering the U.S. economy could likely stretch into 2022.
This comes as U.S. Postal Service, FedEx and UPS released recommended shipping dates to ensure that gifts and cards arrive in time for the holidays. Retailers have recommended that consumers shop early or risk not finding what they want for Christmas, which falls on a Saturday this year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.